I just got a new computer with windows 8 and found out it won't install my National Geographic TOPO! maps of California. Only works up to windows 7. Bummer since I use it all the time. Anybody got any suggestions on how I can access it on the new computer without buying a yearly subscription to the whole US topos for 50 bucks a year?

Noondueler wrote:I just got a new computer with windows 8 and found out it won't install my National Geographic TOPO! maps of California. Only works up to windows 7. Bummer since I use it all the time. Anybody got any suggestions on how I can access it on the new computer without buying a yearly subscription to the whole US topos for 50 bucks a year?

which version are you running? topo!, i mean. i am not on windows 8, but i also had issues after a system upgrade. i e-mailed support and they upgraded all of my state discs to 4.6, which fixed the problem.

Noondueler wrote:I just got a new computer with windows 8 and found out it won't install my National Geographic TOPO! maps of California. Only works up to windows 7. Bummer since I use it all the time. Anybody got any suggestions on how I can access it on the new computer without buying a yearly subscription to the whole US topos for 50 bucks a year?

which version are you running? topo!, i mean. i am not on windows 8, but i also had issues after a system upgrade. i e-mailed support and they upgraded all of my state discs to 4.6, which fixed the problem.

It isTOPO! 4. I called the support team and they no longer make the software. They told me the only way was to get a subscription for the whole US for 50 buck a year.

Noondueler wrote:I just got a new computer with windows 8 and found out it won't install my National Geographic TOPO! maps of California. Only works up to windows 7. Bummer since I use it all the time. Anybody got any suggestions on how I can access it on the new computer without buying a yearly subscription to the whole US topos for 50 bucks a year?

which version are you running? topo!, i mean. i am not on windows 8, but i also had issues after a system upgrade. i e-mailed support and they upgraded all of my state discs to 4.6, which fixed the problem.

It isTOPO! 4. I called the support team and they no longer make the software. They told me the only way was to get a subscription for the whole US for 50 buck a year.

If you want a desktop topo program, the only solution is probably to install a VM and stick a copy of windows 7 on it - or find a different program.

Cost aside, I believe their their yearly subscription is simply a "pro" membership at alltrails.com, which doesn't get you any closer to a desktop mapping solution. And it doesn't really get you anything you can't find for free elsewhere.

mattyj wrote:If you want a desktop topo program, the only solution is probably to install a VM and stick a copy of windows 7 on it - or find a different program.

Cost aside, I believe their their yearly subscription is simply a "pro" membership at alltrails.com, which doesn't get you any closer to a desktop mapping solution. And it doesn't really get you anything you can't find for free elsewhere.

mattyj wrote:If you want a desktop topo program, the only solution is probably to install a VM and stick a copy of windows 7 on it - or find a different program.

Cost aside, I believe their their yearly subscription is simply a "pro" membership at alltrails.com, which doesn't get you any closer to a desktop mapping solution. And it doesn't really get you anything you can't find for free elsewhere.

What mattyj didn't do was plug his own caltopo.com online software, so I will. I've pretty much stopped using my copies of TOPO! and Terrain Navigator in favor of caltopo. Every time I go there, he's added a new useful feature. Thanks, mattyj.

Teresa Gergen wrote:What mattyj didn't do was plug his own caltopo.com online software, so I will. I've pretty much stopped using my copies of TOPO! and Terrain Navigator in favor of caltopo. Every time I go there, he's added a new useful feature. Thanks, mattyj.

interesting. i didn't know that caltopo was run by an sp'er. i'll use it more often now. i like the mapping functions, i just haven't been able to find myself able to break away from topo!

Thanks. I didn't say anything because it's hard not to venture into a rant about this huge WTF from nat geo. I get that desktop software is a shrinking market, but it seems like they're 5+ years early with this decision, and it's absolutely puzzling that they didn't develop a suitable online alternative before killing off their desktop product. AllTrails (the subscription site they partnered with) is a social network for hiking, not a topo editor.

Noondueler, this might be a bit much if you don't know what a VM is, but one route is to follow these instructions to get a copy of XP running on a VM, and then install Topo! on that. If you have a retail copy of Windows 7 (many machines come with "oem" versions that are tied to that machine) you can install it on a free VM like virtualbox.

Or find a friend that knows about this stuff and get them to do it in exchange for beer.

I would quietly submit and lay down the $50 for the yearly subscription. Your money goes to a good cause, as it eventually gets funneled back into the coffersof good old Uncle Sam ... wouldn't you like to see Uncle Sam's already enormous SMILE shine BRIGHTER ? ---

mattyj wrote:Thanks. I didn't say anything because it's hard not to venture into a rant about this huge WTF from nat geo. I get that desktop software is a shrinking market, but it seems like they're 5+ years early with this decision, and it's absolutely puzzling that they didn't develop a suitable online alternative before killing off their desktop product. AllTrails (the subscription site they partnered with) is a social network for hiking, not a topo editor.

Noondueler, this might be a bit much if you don't know what a VM is, but one route is to follow these instructions to get a copy of XP running on a VM, and then install Topo! on that. If you have a retail copy of Windows 7 (many machines come with "oem" versions that are tied to that machine) you can install it on a free VM like virtualbox.

Or find a friend that knows about this stuff and get them to do it in exchange for beer.

Thanks Mattyj. I'm not necessarily locked into Topo. Maybe I should check out caltopo. I'm just looking to get to 15 and 7.5 maps of the state and mileage routes for mountain reports. My old computer is xp, it's limping along but still usable

I have a question along the same lines as the original post. I upgraded my PC and the new one came with Windows 8. I was able to install Topo! 4.5 and bring my old .tpo files over to the new computer. Topo! runs fine on the new computer (and much faster!), so there are no compatibility problems there. My question has to do with the Topo startup.

When I first double-click on the Topo icon, a program called Topo Loader starts. This runs for about 30 seconds, then the screen goes back to my wallpaper. Then, about a minute later, the Topo program starts. Everything runs fine from there.

Can anyone explain this?

BTW, I tried caltopo.com and thought it was pretty impressive. I want to continue using my Topo software, though, because I'm very familiar with it and because I have about 200 tpo files of trips I've taken or dreamed about taking.